1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a water-removing funnel insert and the method of application of the finnel insert.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous commonly-used devices, such as camp stoves, lanterns, model airplanes, chain saws, welding machines, lawnmowers, edgers, weedeaters, golf carts, lawn tractors, outboard boat motors, personal water craft jet skis and generators, utilize hydrocarbon fuels for operation. In many cases, hydrocarbon emulsions are used for such devices without being filtered. Inspection of fuel filters of engines of the devices indicates that fuel systems become contaminated with emulsified water. Consumers transfer unfiltered hydrocarbon emulsions from hydrocarbon containers to such devices without realizing the negative effects created by using unfiltered hydrocarbon emulsions. Unfiltered hydrocarbon emulsions that are stored in such hydrocarbon containers can contain sufficient amount of water and other contaminants to cause depletion of additive packages, damages to carburetors and fuel injectors, an enhancement of bacterial growth and corrosion, to name a few. In addition, problems that are caused by the presence of water in hydrocarbon emulsions are generally not covered by warranties on such devices.
Unfortunately, the presence of emulsified water in fuels is not easily detectable. Neither using samples from the bottom of a storage tank nor applying water-finding pastes provide accurate results in detecting the presence of emulsified water in fuels. Recently, several fuel samples from a major fuel terminal were tested, using the Karl Fischer method and the ASTM (D1533) procedures, to measure the total water content of the fuel. The test results indicated that the water content of the fuel was 0.1% (that is 1000 ppm or approximately ten gallons of water per 10,000 gallons of fuel). Free water is usually present at the bottom of most fuel storage tanks. Also, any empty space above the fuel level in storage tanks contains water vapor, such that water vapor condenses on the inner surface of the walls of the storage tank that surround the empty space. Therefore, owners of fuel storage tanks ascertain that the pick-up point for the pumps attached to the fuel storage tanks is usually about 4 to 6 inches above the tank bottom. Some fuel storage tanks are actually installed at a slight tilt, allowing the pick-up tube to be on a higher end of the tank. However, when the fuel is being delivered, water is mixed with the fuel due to the turbulence caused during unloading of the fuel.
A wide variety of devices and methods have been developed in the past few decades for separating hydrocarbons from aqueous or solvent dispersions. For example, flow-through oil/water separation filters consisting of synthetic foam material that can be periodically compressed to discharge the accumulated oil from the filter body have been marketed. Another example is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 4,416,782, issued on Nov. 22, 1983, wherein Kerres patents a device for separating oil from aqueous or solvent dispersions. Kerres presents extremely fine-fibered, flat-shaped, oleophilic textile articles that withhold oil droplets of oil-in-water dispersions. The oil droplets combine to form larger oil drops which, upon reaching a certain diameter, are released from the textile fiber material and rise to the surface of the liquid where they form an oil layer which can be removed easily by using known techniques.
Many other similar inventions have been developed, some of which still exist in the market. Most of previous and existing patents and innovations have been oriented towards using differences in densities between fuels and water to separate fuels from aqueous or solvent dispersions. A lower amount of emphasis has been placed on developing devices and methods for separating water from hydrocarbon emulsions. Free water appears as drops of water within a hydrocarbon fluid and usually drops to the bottom of the container. However, emulsified water causes the hydrocarbon fluid to appear cloudy and is often referred to as "cloud point". Despite its higher density, emulsified water does not or does not within a satisfactory time period separate from a hydrocarbon emulsion. Relatively large and complicated emulsifiers are generally used at the present to separate emulsified water from hydrocarbon emulsions. Such complicated emulsifiers are not applicable to separating emulsified water from hydrocarbon emulsions used for personal and household devices. If depletion of additive packages, damages to carburetors and fuel injectors and enhancement of bacterial growth and corrosion caused by use of unfiltered hydrocarbon emulsions are to be prevented, emulsified water has to be removed. This invention strives towards developing a simple device that can be used by any individual for separating water from a hydrocarbon emulsion. This device is oriented towards application on a small-scale, light-commercial, non-industrial basis and, particularly, towards separating emulsified water from hydrocarbon emulsions that are used for personal, sport and household fuel-operated equipment.